Technical problems forced Comic-Con International on Monday to shut down registration for next year's convention.

Purchase of single- and four-day badges was to start at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, but only a "handful" of badges were sold before Comic-Con decided to shut down the online operation.

"There are technical issues, but we're not sure what they are, so the best way to deal with it is to shut it down," said Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer. "We want to get to the bottom of the problems before we open it up again."

Organizers will announce on Monday, Nov. 8, when online purchases will resume.

After Comic-Con International put passes on sale in September 2009, four-day badges for this year's convention sold out within a month, while the single-day badges were sold out by February.